UP govt to announce perk driven population policy on Int'l Population Day

Lucknow:In order to meet the national benchmark, Uttar Pradesh is set to announce population policy for 2021-2030 tomorrow on the International Population Day.

While population policy will be announced tomorrow, the draft bill being prepared by state law commission will hold any significance only if the population policy talks about 'exploring legal provisions'.

The population policy 2021-2030 to recommend more incentive and privileges for those government and private sector employees who adopt family planning, officials here on Saturday said.Some incentive can also be given as far as house tax, water tax, PF contribution are concerned.

Basically it will aim at making family planning incentives a bit more lucrative.The draft bill was being deliberated upon by the law commission and will talk of some strict legal provisions.It can talk about debarring those with more than two kids, from contesting the local body elections or getting any free sops from the government.

Earlier, a presentation in this regard was made by the department of Health before the UP CM today.The policy today presented is independent of the legal framework being prepared by the state law commission.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, senior officers present at the meeting denied any link between today's policy presentation and the work being done by the law commission.

Officers were also non-committal on new measures proposed in the policy.

Sources say the new policy advocates for more awareness drives and incentives.Today's presentation was about efforts made so far and evaluation of the exiting policy, that works under the larger aegis of the national family planning policy.

A free of cost medical treatment, education, insurance and preference in govt service is proposed for the kids of parents who adopt vesectomy. There would be many perks and consession for the parents working in private sector which includes rebate in house tax, consession in home loan, water bill and electricity bill.

CM stressed on needs to make people more aware of benefits of family control.However, sources say some announcements can be made by the UP CM on the 'World Population Day' tomorrow.

The existing policy adopted in 2010 had aimed to reduce the total fertility rate to 2.1 per cent , increase contraceptive prevalence to 52 per cent.UP had improved over past two decades but fertility rate still remains higher than the national average. It is around 3 percent.(UNI)